


Sixth sense

by whizzk1d



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Gen, Good Parent Joyce Byers, Parental Jim "Chief" Hopper, Sorry Not Sorry, Steve Harrington Has Powers, Steve Harrington-centric, no beta we die like men, no mileven bc it sucks ass, season 3 fix it i suppose, steve can see the dead
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:20:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25769572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whizzk1d/pseuds/whizzk1d
Summary: “Why don’t you like Eleven?”“What? Who said i don’t like her?”“Come on Steve you act so awkward around her”———————————————Steve’s powers were always a secret, but a curly haired little girl is about to completely unravel the ball of lies he’s wrapped himself up in.
Relationships: Eleven | Jane Hopper & Steve Harrington, Joyce Byers & Steve Harrington, Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington, Steve Harrington & Jim "Chief" Hopper, Steve Harrington & Original Male Character(s), Steve Harrington & The Party
Comments: 13
Kudos: 243





	1. Batman and Robin

**Author's Note:**

> yo guys!
> 
> i just finished tua s2 and i love klaus so why not give steve his powers and hop on the steve harrington has powers bandwagon
> 
> the first chapter is gonna be quite long but i hope you enjoy!

Steve always thought the phrase ‘money can’t buy you happiness’ was a stupid one. Money made the world go round, it saved lives and solved problems. If you had enough money you could do virtually anything.

But then Steve did have money, lots of it. And he wasn’t happy. And the phrase made more sense.

When the Harrington’s, a tall spindly man in a black suit with a brief case and a shiny gold wrist watch and a luxurious sleek woman with the essence of a cat dressed in white fur, approached Dr. Martin Brenner and asked to buy a child, he had been weary, but then he thought about number seven and he agreed to let them have him.

Number seven was Brenner’s most useless creation. The child claimed he could see the dead, and it wasn’t that he didn’t believe him but seven had proven to have the least control over his seemingly useless powers anyway. And what number seven lacked in super powered abilities he definitely didn’t make up for in combat or strength, so for the low low price of $750,000 Dr. Martin Brenner sold the Harrington’s a child.

Unbeknownst to the doctor, he had also sold a second child, a two in one deal if you like. Number five- who had mind control and was also dead. He died a slow and painful death in one of the labs the deprivation tanks while trying to control his powers. When five didn’t return to the play room after a week, the rest of the subjects could only come to one conclusion.

Seven tried his hardest to conjure five over and over again and each time he failed. Brenner had made a comment during one of their experiments about over exerting himself and so seven listened, and he stopped trying during training and experiments and he was kicked and slapped but he was saving up his energy so he would be able to conjure his best friend, even if it was only for a few minutes. And it worked, for once in his life, seven had accomplished something.

Not that he could let Brenner know. The man would only run more tests on him, and he didn’t want that, five had told him that Papa would hurt him more if he knew five was here. So seven kept it to himself.

He kept it to himself after he was bought, five trailing along after him muttering insults about rich people and not having anything better to do with their money. It puzzled seven that five knew how to talk so well, but five was always mischievous and seven knew that he would only be more confused with the answer so he left it alone.

When the Harrington’s (‘we’re John and Mary’ the cat like woman said ‘but you can call us mom and dad’) gave seven a name, five decided he wanted one too. five was a year older than seven, _steve now_ , but he pestered him like a toddler until he agreed to find five a new name.

Steve and five, _Frankie_ , grew up together. The younger boy was grateful for Frankie, grateful that he didn’t have to face the music alone, though he never could get a grip on his powers. Ghosts still screamed at him, begging for him to make them corporeal and clawing at him, their hands going right through him. And there wasn’t a shortage of ghosts in Hawkins but at least most of them were just old people begging to talk to their children again and not the horrifyingly bloody and disfigured people who died horrible deaths he had to face in the lab.

After a year he was enrolled in the local school, Hawkins middle, and he got odd stares and long glances as if people were working him out like a math question. Bored parents gossiped about Steve and the Harrington’s, making up crazy theories about where they came from, Mary just tugged on his collar and kissed him on the forehead saying ‘don’t worry about it Stevie’ and then she left for another two weeks. But he met Tommy and by extension Carol and they were the first people to accept him with open arms so Steve started to ignore the odd stares and long glances and stand with Tommy and Carol as they made rude comments about the people who gave him odd stares and long glances.

Then Nancy Wheeler came into his life and Frankie teased him for being such a sap, but this was the first time Steve had felt anything other than scared since he left the lab and Frankie knew that too, so he didn’t push with the teasing. Nancy made Steve feel normal so he chased the feeling and found himself falling, like an idiot, for Nancy Wheeler.

He joined the basketball team and slept his way through most of the girls in his year, even kissed a few boys too, he failed most of his tests and used his gentlemanly charm to get out of most of the detentions he was given, John and Mary’s two week trips turned into two month long trips and he threw parties and did keg stands and pissed off Chief Hopper one too many times. To any other person, Steve Harrington was completely normal.

After five years Frankie convinced him to use his powers again, for the first time since the lab. Steve tried. He pushed until his hands had a faint blue glow and Frankie was starting to do the same. Then he collapsed. And they didn’t try again.

Like all things good his relationship with Nancy came to an end. Steve knew Jonathan was better for her but he still couldn’t stop the canyon in his heart from opening a little wider. It was for the better though, keeping the fact that Barb was roaming around the pool in his back yard a secret from Nancy was killing him. Frankie was there and he helped, his hand hovering over Steve’s back which only made him cry more at his pathetic ability to harness his powers. As he looked down at the little number seven on his wrist which he covered with his mom’s concealer most days he cried a little harder.

Time didn’t stop and let Steve rest though. Next thing he knew he and Frankie were sat in the front seats of him BMW trying to gather the courage to go and knock on Jonathan Byers front door. Frankie watched as Steve leant against the door, shouting to whoever was inside and asking for forgiveness. Subsequently he was pulled inside and terrorised by a large slimy monster and Steve left the Byers house wondering if he would ever catch a break.

Later that evening sat in Steve’s blue bedroom that had started to feel like a cage, Frankie had muttered something about being Batman and Robin and Steve replied ‘who’s who?’ earning a chuckle from his older brother who bumped his shoulder. Steve shot up and Frankie frowned at him. ‘You touched me’ he said ‘you actually touched me’. The two spent the rest of the night working on Steve’s powers.

It came back. Bigger this time. And the children were involved. Being dragged back to face his childhood home in the middle of the night by three kids and meeting Nancy and Jonathan there was not how he pictured spending the night. 

As they huddled together in the Byers house (once again, which was bringing back memories Steve didn’t want brought back) waiting for whatever was outside to come barrelling though the door, no one could’ve prepared Steve or Frankie for the little girl that stepped in.

Eleven had grown so much since the brothers had last seen her. Steve faltered, staggering backwards, thankfully no one had seen. When he was alone Steve looked to his brother who had gone pale and quiet, and it was never like Frankie to be quiet. That night Steve got a concussion and Frankie disappeared. For the first time in six years Steve was alone. It took two full days for Steve to gather the strength to conjure his brother again, making him corporeal just long enough to hug him tightly before the blue glow in his hands faded and Steve’s arms fell through Frankie’s body.

During Steve’s time as an employee at Scoops Ahoy he made friends with Robin. A small blonde girl who made weird movie references and poked fun at him, she reminded him of Frankie.

’you can be the real Batman and Robin now’ Frankie had said ‘I don’t think Robin would like being my sidekick’ Steve had laughed and the next day Steve was intercepting a Russian transmission and being pulled into a secret Russian base by Dustin with Erica, Robin and Frankie at his side. He was tortured and reminded too much of the lab, the white coats and the cold, emotionless voices. Frankie stayed by him this time, he had a better grip on his powers now.

Robin was a lesbian, which didn’t bother Steve at all. He shared his experiences with boys and she had told him he was bisexual which filled him with joy- finally having an identity. He heard Frankie mutter ‘I’m proud of you little bro’ and his smile widened.

Everyone was out and safe, all together again. Steve sat huddled in blankets on the back of an ambulance with Dustin and Robin, watching the chief hug Joyce and Eleven.

Eleven. His little sister who doesn’t remember him.

Shit


	2. Tom and Jerry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> robin and frankie make a great team
> 
> tw// mild panic attacks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay sorry this has taken so fucking long i have no motivation to live 
> 
> sorry if robin is a bit ooc i just see her being softer for steve and dustin bc she trusts them!!

When the dust settled, Steve had a lot of thinking to do. After the _Battle of Starcourt_ (as the kids were calling it) Frankie had been pestering Steve to reveal his powers. He had been contemplating it too but he didn’t want to cause a stir. Joyce had only just been convinced to stay in Hawkins with the chief and El, Max was still mourning the loss of her brother and for a 3rd time everyone was trying to get back to normal.

He couldn’t do that to them. He couldn’t uproot their lives for a 4th time. Steve was content, happy, with Frankie being his little secret and it would stay that way until who knows when. But he couldn’t do that to them.

Steve stumbled into family video with bags under his eyes and his shoelaces undone. His battered white chucks almost tripped him up multiple times as he scrambled to the back room to pull on his uniform. Robin watched the whole ordeal with a raised eyebrow, the store was empty at the moment (it was only 10:30) so she left her place at the counter and wandered to the back room to see Steve trying time tame his hair in the small dirty mirror.

He could see Frankie laughing behind him as Robin leant against the door frame expecting an answer for his disheveled appearance.

The truth was he had been up all night, plagued by nightmares of the Russians and by extension- the lab. He remembered the trials he was put through and the gruesome sights he saw. Steve hadn’t gotten nightmares of the lab since he was 15 years old but being tortured by the men with thick, intimidating accents brought all of the memories that had been bottled up back to the surface. 

“Nightmares” he muttered so quietly that he wouldn’t be surprised if Robin hadn’t heard him. Her harsh features softened and the smaller girl shuffled over to him to wrap a thin arm around his hunched frame. Her hair was squashed against his shoulder but she didn’t seem to mind as she stroked his back. Robin was affectionate with Steve to the point where most of the party thought they were dating, they both knew it would never happen, though, they were okay with it. Steve thought having a sister as well as a brother was actually quite nice.

Rudely disrupting their hug, the bell above the shop door rattled. Robin skipped out of the back and up to the counter, gasping with joy seeing Dustin stood in the shop. “M’lady!” the young boy shouted “Dusty!” Robin shouted back. Steve perked up at the mention of his best friend and took a look at Frankie who smirked at him. 

“Oh shut up” the tired boy mumbled. 

“I didn’t say anything!” Frankie threw his hands up and Steve sneered at him “Well your face did.”

Despite his teasing, Frankie was glad that Steve had managed to find himself a dysfunctional little family in the middle of all of the chaos. After his treatment in the lab and then the cold parenting he received Frankie hadn’t expected him to bounce back so quickly, but Robin and Dustin seemed to help. 

As he gathered his thoughts and stepped into the main store area, Steve forgot to lace up his shoes. He tripped over the long laces and sent himself flying forward, throwing his hands out in the process to try and stop himself from crash landing into a pile of VHS tapes. Robin cackled as the tapes came crashing down around the lanky boy. “Steve!” she called out to him, doubling over with laughter. 

They both laughed along with each other, Steve rubbing his head from where he had barrelled head first into the pile, until Dustin let out an ear piercing shriek which made them both spin around. 

Robins screech followed shortly after and Steve quickly looked down at his hands to see them glowing blue. Every single thought hit him at once, Robin and Dustin’s screaming falling deaf to his ears as Frankie was waving a had frantically in front of Steve’s blank face. _Oh shit._ His secret was out and now he would have to explain it.

”Steve what the fuck!?”

The older boy was snapped out of his snowballing breakdown by Robin’s scared voice. He looked up and shook his hands; the blue glow slowly fading away along with Frankie leaving the space where he was empty and void. A heavy silence hung in the air as Steve racked his brains for any and every excuse he could think of.

Frankie (who was still visible to Steve) crossed his arms. He knew he had to tell them, especially after they’d seen his power in action, he wanted to think about everything being normal and simple but he knew that would never be the case. Nothing has ever been simple for him.

Revelling in his bad luck Steve stood up slowly. His shoulders were hunched and his heels were digging into the floor. Robin was looking back and forth with disbelief in her eyes. Steve knew she still had nightmares about the Russians however much she tried to hide it, seeing her as scared and confused as when she woke up from her nightmares made Steve want to melt into the floor.

”Uh surprise?” He muttered with downcast eyes.

”Surprise?” Shouted Dustin “We need an explanation Steve! Was this because of the Russians? When did it start? What even is it?”

Dustin went on taking off his cap and and flinging it around in wild motions while shouting wild theories. Steve brushed a hand over his face and ran it through his hair feeling his calloused fingertips brushing over his scalp. Robin was rooted to the spot- ridged and stiff as if she’d seen a ghost. Which she had. She had seen a ghost. Every thought in Steve’s head was moving in slow motion, his mouth open but no words coming out. 

“Make me corporeal again” Frankie’s voice travelled through the fray but Steve couldn’t do it. He couldn’t focus enough to speak or move or think. Making Frankie corporeal was the last thing he could do. His breath quickened and his vision blurred, the ground shifted beneath him and suddenly all of the air had been knocked out of his lungs. Visions of the lab flashed through Steve’s mind at rapid speed while the rest of his thoughts slowed to a stop. 

White lab coats. Questions. Screaming. Ghosts. 

A hand grabbed his shoulder, pulling him back to earth. He tried to focus on the moving face in front of him but his eyes were glossy and unfocused. The pounding in Steve’s ears was getting so loud he thought his ear drums would burst. 

Robin. It was Robin’s hand on his shoulder, her hand was small, bony and rough and her nails were shorter than his. He was here with Robin. And Dustin, he could hear Dustin’s high pitched voice. The air in his lungs was refilling and Robin’s gravelly voice was muttering something calming. He couldn’t make out what it was but it was nice. She put her other hand on his cheek and breathed in time with him. 

Once his vision cleared Steve let out a large sigh. Robin guided him to a chair and Dustin followed hastily, asking the teen girl if Steve was okay. He wanted to call out to him and tell him he was right here, but for now he could let Robin talk for him while his mouth caught up to his brain. He could feel Frankie’s watchful eyes but he didn’t have the courage to look up at him, knowing he failed again to make him corporeal when he needed to.

”Take your time Steve” Robin said.

”But also hurry up because I want to know about the ghost man.” 

“Shut up Dustin!”

Steve chuckled at his siblings, biological or not he was surrounded by family and he was safe, no lab or scientists or petrifying ghosts. Collecting his thoughts he took a deep breath and started to explain everything; the lab, Frankie, his _adoptive_ parents, growing up, hiding his powers, the Russians. They listened intently and commented when they needed to which Steve was grateful for.

After his long, shaky retelling of the events Dustin wrapped him in the hug that was more of just a squeeze that could’ve broken his bones if he held on for any longer. Steve patted him on his head of messy curls before he jumped back up in excitement and asked to see Frankie. 

“Don’t push yourself Stevie” Frankie muttered while Steve clenched his hands into fists and took a deep breath. He pushed all of his energy into the air around him and white hot electricity flowed through him. The blue glow appeared brighter than ever and Frankie appeared, also slightly blue. Dustin let out a surprise scream and Robin gaped at the teenage ghost. Frankie gave a wave and Dustin started to shout about comics and superheroes.

“You guys are like Batman and Robin!”

“No more like Tom and Jerry”

“Steve is definitely Tom”

_This is my family_. Even if Steve was a fucked up experiment gone wrong, he had his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you enjoyed!! and i hope it made more sense than the last chapter lmao xx

**Author's Note:**

> sorry if this is really confusing i come up with the weirdest ideas i don’t even know if anyone wants to read them lol xx


End file.
